FedEx donates Boeing 727 to College of Alameda’s Aviation Maintenance Technology program

College of Alameda’s Aviation Maintenance Technology program recently got a lift when the Peralta Community College Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved a recommendation to accept the donation of a Boeing 727 from the FedEx Corporation.

“It is rare that this type of opportunity comes along and it is essential to the upgrading of equipment as part of the Aviation Maintenance Technology program,” a report presented by College of Alameda President Jannett Jackson said. “It will afford us the opportunity to equip our students with current equipment, which will enhance their future employability.”

According to the report, the donation is the result of three years of negotiation between College of Alameda’s Aviation Maintenance Department and FedEx, the brainchild of aviation faculty member Dan Gunther who died last year. The plane was flown into Oakland International Airport on Feb. 20, and has begun a process of reconfiguration for the donation.

“FedEx makes sure the plane is inoperable and will not be able to fly. But the systems will work,” Jackson said. “Most of the systems we have now are dated more than you on the board.”

The college’s new airplane will be housed at their aviation facility located at 970 Harbor Bay Parkway in Alameda, in between the Oakland International Airport and the Chuck Corica Golf Complex.